Definition of family

Short definition: The word family means a group of people who are related to each other, such as parents, children, and close relatives. People also use it to describe anyone who feels like home, including close friends who support and care for each other like real family.

Looking for a clear and natural explanation of the word family? The word family is deeply connected to our daily lives and emotions. It can mean the people we are related to by blood, but it can also describe the ones who support us, care about us, and stand by us even when life feels difficult. In everyday life, family appears in stories about love, responsibility, comfort, and sometimes even conflict, because family is where many of our strongest feelings begin. Below, each meaning is explained in a relaxed and natural way, with explanations that sound human, not stiff like a textbook.

Noun forms: family, families
Related: familial adj., family-oriented adj.
Syllable: fam-i-ly

1. The group of people you are related to by blood, marriage, or adoption.

   In its most traditional meaning, family refers to parents, children, grandparents, siblings, and other relatives who share a connection through birth or legal ties. This is the group many people grow up with—the ones who shape early experiences, values, and habits. For better or worse, this kind of family often becomes the foundation of a person’s identity.

   Every Sunday, the whole family gathers at their grandparents’ house, sharing stories, food, and laughter around the same old table.
   She moved to another city for work, but she still calls her family almost every night.
   Growing up in a big family taught him how to share, compromise, and care about others from a young age.

   Synonyms: relatives, household, kin, blood relatives, parents and children, extended family, clan, kinfolk, close relations, family members, loved ones, people at home
   Antonyms: strangers, outsiders, unrelated people, unknown people, non-relatives, distant people, enemies, people with no ties, unrelated group, foreigners, unknown faces, outsiders only

2. People who care about each other and support one another, even without blood ties.

   In a broader and more emotional sense, family is not only about biology. It can also mean the people who stand by you, listen to you, and make you feel safe and accepted. Many people find this kind of family among friends, partners, or communities that feel like home.

   After moving to a new country, her friends slowly became her family, supporting her when she felt lonely and unsure.
   He always says that the team at work feels like a second family, because they help each other through stressful days.
   Sometimes the people who choose to stay with you become more of a family than those you are born into.

   Synonyms: chosen family, close friends, support circle, inner circle, loved ones, close group, emotional family, people who care, support system, trusted group, home circle, caring community
   Antonyms: lonely group, strangers, uncaring people, distant crowd, people who don’t care, cold circle, unfriendly group, isolated individuals, people with no bond, unsupportive group, distant relations, uncaring community

3. A group of related things, ideas, or products.

   Beyond people, family can describe things that belong together because they share similar features. For example, we talk about a “family of products” or a “family of words” when they come from the same source or have similar qualities.

   This phone belongs to the same family of devices that the company released earlier this year.
   In language, verbs like run, ran, and running are part of the same word family.
   The brand introduced a whole family of skincare products, all designed for sensitive skin.

   Synonyms: group, category, set, collection, series, range, class, related group, product line, word group, type family, connected items
   Antonyms: single item, unrelated thing, separate piece, lone object, isolated product, one-off item, different category, unrelated set, unique piece, stand-alone item, different group, unconnected thing

4. A sense of belonging and emotional safety.

   Sometimes family is less about who people are and more about how they make you feel. It can describe the feeling of being accepted, understood, and protected—no matter where you are.

   Whenever she visits her hometown, she feels that warm sense of family again.
   The community center gives many people a feeling of family they don’t find anywhere else.
   He said that being with them feels like being with family, even though they are not related.

   Synonyms: belonging, emotional home, safe circle, comfort zone, place of acceptance, emotional shelter, support base, warm circle, trusted place, home feeling, caring space, emotional refuge
   Antonyms: loneliness, isolation, rejection, coldness, emotional distance, feeling lost, being unwanted, lack of support, emptiness, being alone, emotional coldness, social isolation

5. A word often used to talk about values like love, loyalty, and responsibility.

   In many cultures, family is closely linked to important values. People use the word when talking about duty, care, and the idea of standing by each other no matter what. In this sense, family becomes more than people—it becomes a way of life.

   He learned the meaning of loyalty from his family, who always supported one another through hard times.
   For her, family means putting others first, even when life becomes busy and stressful.
   They believe that strong family values are the key to raising kind and responsible children.

   Synonyms: family values, loyalty, responsibility, togetherness, unity, mutual care, devotion, commitment, support tradition, caring bond, shared values, strong ties
   Antonyms: selfishness, neglect, disloyalty, lack of care, broken ties, cold relationships, irresponsibility, isolation, emotional distance, uncaring attitude, weak bonds, separation